Sports

Kotzebue's Roetman claims title at prestigious Reno tournament

A wrestler from the top of the world claimed a spot at the top of the high school wrestling world Saturday in Reno, Nevada.

Josh Roetman, a 182-pound senior from Kotzebue, earned the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award after winning his weight class at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Billed as "the toughest tournament in the U.S.," the meet draws many of the best high school wrestlers from all over the country and is considered an unofficial national championship.

"Without a doubt it was his biggest win," Kotzebue coach Mark Lane said by phone.

Roetman, who earlier this month won his second Alaska high school state title to help Kotzebue win the Class 1-2-3A state championship, won six matches in the two-day tournament in Reno to extend his season-long unbeaten streak to 40 matches. He pinned four straight opponents in a combined time of 4 minutes, 45 seconds to reach the semifinals, and a 7-0 semifinal victory put him in the finals against Andrew Tausch of San Diego's Poway High.

Roetman won the championship match 3-1, scoring a takedown with about 30 seconds left in the match to break a 1-1 tie.

"You always train for your toughest match," Roetman said in a videotaped interview after his victory. "So even though I've won with a 20-second pin, a minute pin, you still focus on the match where I have to go six, seven, eight minutes. I was perfectly comfortable in that match. That match was just fundamentals."

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In the interview, Roetman fielded a number of questions about living in Kotzebue. It's 33 miles above the Arctic Circle, he told the tournament reporter, and it was minus-2 the day when Kotzebue coach Mark Lane and several wrestlers left for Reno.

Roetman said that in addition to his work with Lane and his Huskies teammates, he learns technique by watching videos at flowrestling.com.

"I'm a pretty good student, so I have a couple free periods in school, so flowrestling, two hours a day," he said in the interview.

Roetman is the sixth Alaskan to capture a title and the 10th to advance to the finals at the Reno Tournament of Champions, which dates back to 1993.

On his way to the title, the 6-foot-3 Roetman pinned his first-round opponent in 51 seconds, pinned his second opponent in 19 seconds, his third in 87 seconds and his fourth in 68 seconds.

Roetman hopes to wrestle at a Division I college. He said he has talked with Boise State and Oregon State, and said he has received a letter of appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy's prep school in Rhode Island, which could put him on track to wrestle for Navy.

Other Alaskans who have made it to the finals at the Reno tournament include Bartlett's Caleb Green (second at 285 in 2011), East's Nathan Hoffer (second at 140 in 2009), South's Jesse Amos (first at 171 in 2007), Kodiak's Jimmy Eggemeyer (second at 130 in 2007), Chugiak's Cayle Byers (first at 189 in 2006), Skyview's Eli Hutchison (first at 135 in 2005), Wasilla's Jake Wade (second at 189 in 2005), Wasilla's Jed Wade (first at 189 in 2003) and Palmer's Gabe McMahon (first at 160 in 1996).

Roetman was among several Alaskans who competed in Reno this year. South High's Greg Shack earned All-America honors -- which go to the top three wrestlers in each weight class -- by placing third at 120 pounds.

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